Fatherhood In Decline, Father’s Day In Reflection
Photo: Freepik
By Madanlal Gupta
As Father’s Day approaches, many will pause to honor paternal love, sacrifice, and legacy. But beneath the surface of celebratory messages and traditional neckties lies a sobering national reality: a growing number of American boys are growing up without their fathers.
Today, an estimated 12 million boys in the United States live apart from their biological fathers—a figure that has nearly doubled since 1960, when it stood at around 17%. That percentage has climbed to 32%, with only 62.5% of boys under 18 living in intact families with both biological parents. Roughly 31.5% live without their biological father, and only 4.2% live with a single father.
This trend is more than a demographic shift. Many researchers and policymakers link the absence of fathers to some of the most pressing challenges the country faces: crime, violence, school failure, mental health struggles, and intergenerational poverty. The lack of a father figure is increasingly seen not just as a personal issue, but as a societal one.
A Day with Ancient Roots
While Father’s Day may seem like a modern invention, its roots stretch far back into ancient times. Long before gift cards and barbecues, early societies marked paternal roles with pagan rituals tied to the sun gods. These celebrations often coincided with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and involved elaborate feasts where goats were sacrificed and meat consumed in abundance.
The festival also pays tribute to Juno, the Roman goddess for whom June is named. Juno was not just a divine wife (to Jupiter), but also a protector of marriage and fertility—attributes that speak to the role of fathers in traditional family structures.
In Indian tradition, too, fatherhood holds deep reverence. Ancient texts like the Mahabharata and the Puranas elevate the father to divine status. In response to a question from the Yaksha, Yudhishthira declared the father to be “higher than the sky.” The Puranas go even further, proclaiming, “All the gods reside in the father.”
A Modern Celebration Born of Tragedy
Though often overshadowed by its more popular counterpart, Mother’s Day, the history of Father’s Day in the U.S. is rooted in both tragedy and devotion.
While commonly attributed to Sonora Smart Dodd, who advocated in 1910 for a day to honor her widowed father in Spokane, Washington, another account predates it. On December 6, 1907, Grace Golden Clayton organized a service in Fairmont, West Virginia, to commemorate 210 fathers killed in a mining disaster.
Dodd’s campaign gained traction with support from the local YMCA and churches. On June 19, 1910, young men distributed red roses for living fathers and white roses for the deceased, and Dodd herself went through town handing them out from a horse cart.
Despite this early momentum, formal recognition took decades. A bill was introduced in Congress in 1913, and President Woodrow Wilson supported the idea in 1916. But fears of commercial exploitation stalled the effort. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed Father’s Day into law as a permanent national observance.
Celebration and Commercialization
From reverence to retail, Father’s Day has evolved. In the 1930s, the National Father’s Day Committee—later renamed the National Council for the Encouragement of Father’s Day—was formed to promote the holiday and encourage consumer participation.
Dodd, unlike Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis, did not oppose the commercialization. She saw gift-giving as a valid expression of gratitude. Today, over $1 billion is spent on Father’s Day gifts in the U.S., with the iconic necktie standing out. Some 100 million ties are bought annually—roughly one for every adult male in the country.
Neckties themselves have long been symbolic—of occupation, status, and even political allegiance. The tradition can be traced back to ancient China, where Emperor Qin Shi Huang is depicted wearing an early version of the necktie.
Global Observances, Local Meanings
Though the third Sunday in June is the most common date for Father’s Day celebrations (observed in the U.S., UK, Canada, India, and more), other countries have tailored it to their own traditions. Thailand marks it on December 5, the birthday of the former king. In Brazil, it’s the second Sunday of August. In Australia and New Zealand, it’s the first Sunday of September.
In India, Father’s Day is a relatively recent addition, shaped largely by Western influence. But its cultural resonance is growing, as more people embrace the opportunity to honor their fathers through gifts, gestures, and gratitude.
Honoring the Role, Reckoning with the Reality
As the U.S. marks another Father’s Day, it is a moment both to celebrate the enduring bond between father and child and to reckon with the widening gap left by absent fathers.
In literature, mythology, and religion, the father is exalted as a guide, a protector, a role model. And while many children are fortunate to experience that love and leadership firsthand, millions more are growing up without it.
Whether with a rose, a tie, or a memory, this Father’s Day calls for not just reflection—but action. If the father is indeed “higher than the sky,” then rebuilding and reinforcing that foundation may be key to strengthening families, and by extension, the future of society itself.
